


little by little

by 4419



Series: to the unreachable you [4]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Attempt at Humor, Best Friends, Fluff and Crack, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Slight OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 18:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9838220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4419/pseuds/4419
Summary: He, who flirts with everyone, will end up alone





	

Have you ever felt the need to hide in a dark corner because you're too embarrassed to be seen with your best friend? Don't get Donghyuck wrong, he loves his best friend (more than you can think of) but sometimes he just, well, let's just say he's embarrassing for someone who looks like he came out straight from a magazine. Donghyuck never imagine this day would come but _hey_ people do crazy stuff when they want to have a date for prom right?

  
He's just sighing; sighing so much that his seatmate, Jaemin, wants to stuff his mouth with his sketchpad. "What did he do this time?" Jaemin breaks the silence, or rather his silence, that makes Donghyuck look at him, jaded.

  
"He's been all around the school flirting with everyone." Donghyuck answers monotonously like he's memorized it for saying it too often. Actually, he does memorized it very well. That's must have been the most used sentence he's said for his seventeen years of living. He has said it probably more than he had said I love you to his parents, or get out when Jisung says something _un_ funny.

  
Jaemin, on the other hand, attempts to not laugh since Mr. Choi is a very strict History teacher, and they might get detention. Jaemin doesn't want that. "Oh, right. Of course he is." He says as a matter of factly because what else would Lee Jeno do that would make his best friend this dissociated from reality. "Is he using the ' _Hi, I'm Jeno Lee, love child of Adonis and Zeus. I was sent to the human world to be with you_ ' speech again?"

  
Donghyuck looks over in front, sighs when he sees his best friend wooing his seatmate, Eunji, but it looks like the girl isn't having any of it. He looks at them one more time before glaring back at Jaemin and he's not even a bit fazed when he sees Jaemin looking at his apologetically. "Why don't you just tell him?" Jaemin suggest. He always suggest but Donghyuck thinks Jisung's _shave his hair_ is a better plan that Jaemin's.

  
"Why don't you kiss you boyfriend instead?" Donghyuck snaps at Jaemin before opening his book but not really reading anything. He just wants his mind to wander some place else other than thinking of this. He hears Jaemin huffs a breath upon hearing the word boyfriend.

  
"I don't want to. He's so chill about this that he hasn't think of asking me to prom." Jaemin complains, glaring at the blackboard. Donghyuck regrets his retort right away, because no one knows Jaemin when he's angry but him. He doesn't want Jaemin to let his anger out on his boyfriend later.

 

By the time the bell rings, signalling the end of fourth period, which means it's lunch time, Jaemin and Donghyuck are already betting who gets to be asked first for prom. "If Mark won't ask you, he's going with me." Donghyuck jokes before storming out of the room before Jaemin pull his hair off.

 

*

 

The cafeteria, as loud as it's ever been, seem so airy for Donghyuck. It's not that their school is huge or anything but during these days, the cafeteria is the last place these couples would set their prom proposal. One, there is the enormous school garden, it's like a park if you ask him. Two, there's the school campus, if you want everyone at school to know how much you love this person, who you will probably like just until the end of prom night. Maybe Donghyuck is just frustrated because no one might ask him. Or that someone won't ask him.

  
"You know those foreign exchange students, right?" Jisung, a junior, who also happens to be his other best friend, said in a tone of boredom but Donghyuck nods otherwise. "Well, Jeno hyung has been following them around."

  
Donghyuck averts his eyes from the salad to Jisung, squinting his eyes. "Why? I thought Jeno was asking Eunji to prom?"

  
"I thought he was asking Jaemin to prom."

  
Donghyuck gapes at Jisung upon hearing his seatmate's name, "Jaemin has a boyfriend?" He keeps giving Jisung the are you serious look but when was he not.

  
"Yeah, and the sky is blue." Donghyuck leans closer to Jisung, trying to choke him for being such a pain, but the younger shouts a plead. "What I meant was, Jeno hyung doesn't care if they're taken or not."

  
Donghyuck huffs and goes back to his sitting position, taking Jisung's explanation as a fact and he should've known that by now. As the two of them wander about, Jeno slides in the seat across from them with an upset expression.

  
"What's wrong?" Donghyuck's the first to ask. Of course, who else would? Jeno is his best friend. What other people get surprised of is when they found out these two have been friends since second grade. Jeno, the new kid on the block, quiet and seems like your typical boy next door crush and Donghyuck, the naughty but smart school boy who loves arts. They practically clicked the first time they talked to each other. The weird thing is that after ten years of friendship, Jeno acts so differently, he isn't like the young smiling boy Donghyuck used to play snakes and ladders with.

  
"Am I ugly?" Jeno sighs and stares at Donghyuck.

  
"...No?" Donghyuck did not know why he actually had to think of the answer. Jeno is not ugly. Whoever thinks that might have been purblind.

  
Jeno throws his arms out in dismay, "So I am ugly! Thanks for admitting."  
"What? No, no, no-" Donghyuck stands up from his seat, preparing himself for yet another speech that can make Jeno believe that no he is not ugly. Jisung is just sitting there, raising his eyebrow at Donghyuck and Jeno's everyday act. "Lee Jeno, don't be like that! You, Lee Jeno, ugly? Is the son of Zeus ugly? Is the son of Adonis hideous? No, of course they're not. Moreover, do their love child looks like a fucking frog? No, definitely not. So no, you're not ugly. You're the most beautiful piece of trash I've ever seen."

  
Jeno was about to cry on how sincere his best friend's speech is until he hears the last sentence. "Why you little-" He stops himself when he hears someone laughing from the other table. Jeno looks back on who it is. It's Renjun, _oh so beautiful, Renjun._

  
Donghyuck stops laughing along with Jisung when he sees Jeno staring dreamily at the boy on the other table. He frowns and goes to sit back beside Jisung to finish his salad.

 

*

 

The next day was even worse. From the time he arrives at school, all Donghyuck could see and hear are the words "Would you like to go to prom with me?" and it's testing him to not batter the person with insults. He knows it's evil of him, even when he knows he's done some crazy stuff in the past, it's still inhumane of him to discourage other people's love just because his love doesn't love him back.

  
Another annoying thing is that Jaemin's locker is right next to his, which means he'll hear Jaemin complaining about his boyfriend not even coming up with hints that he'll ask him to prom. "I swear, if that half kimchi half maple syrup won't ask me to prom-"

  
"Would you please shut up? He'll ask you, okay?" Donghyuck grunts, fed up with Jaemin's problem. He's seen Mark setting up balloons, colors bubble gum pink and hot pink, and sticking a huge banner saying 'My Jaeminie, will you be my shining star to prom?' at the school garden. It's probably the cheesiest one yet but at least Jaemin is sure to have someone go with him to prom.

  
Jaemin didn't even bother answering Donghyuck and instead taking an interest at the scene passing by them. "Hey, it's Jeno-" Donghyuck looks ahead when he hears his best friend's name. "-with Renjun and Chenle. Wow...is he asking them to prom?" Jaemin looks beside him only to see Donghyuck with a sour look on his face.

  
"He's still not giving up, it's been two days. It's not like him to stay focused on the same person for that long." Donghyuck thinks out loud that made Jaemin look back at Jeno, who's telling something to the two that made them laugh.

  
"You're right. Maybe he is serious now." Jaemin answers back that earns him a grunt from Donghyuck.

 

*

 

It's been a week and Donghyuck could see no trace of tiredness in Jeno's face. Apart from that, Jeno has been hanging out less on their table and more on the table next to them. He could hear Jeno's puns from the other side and he cringes every time that Renjun kid laughs because of it. 

  
"Have you tried asking anybody?" He asks Jisung but his eyes still glued to Jeno and his unfunny jokes. 

  
"No, you?"

  
"I tried asking Hina but she literally cuts me off and told me she's waiting for someone else. I told her Jaemin's already taken and she shouldn't wait for him anymore."

 

The day ended with Jeno not showing up to the bus stop where the two of them usually wait and go home together. Donghyuck was doing his history homework when he casually peers at his bedroom window. He sees Jeno walking down the other side of the road where his house is located. Donghyuck then look at his wall clock, it's almost seven in the evening. 

  
Donghyuck thinks his best friend finally succeed in asking Renjun to go to prom with him. "Right on time." Donghyuck mutters to himself.

 

*

 

The day of the prom unfortunately came flying in front of Donghyuck's face before he even have time to decide if he's going or not, but his mother already bought a nice tuxedo for him so he couldn't say no. Donghyuck's parents sent him off to school five minutes after the prom started. 

  
Before entering the school, Donghyuck gets a text message from his, supposedly, date for tonight, Jisung, telling him he couldn't go because he has a fever. Donghyuck whines and stump his feet for five seconds because of course, the great Jisung Park would do this to his best friend, of course, it's Jisung. He replies a get well soon, you punk but Donghyuck really wants to cry right now. He's part of the lone birds of the night now.

 

The crowd has been annoying as always to Donghyuck and it's been thirty minutes since the party has started and he already wants to go home but he only has his phone with him, no money, no bus card and his parents told him they'll go out tonight and fetch him at midnight, when the prom's supposed to end. Donghyuck sighs and averts his eyes from his phone, it feels like a decade and his battery is on the verge of dying.

  
He, surprisingly, sees Jeno standing in front of him when he looks up. "Where's your date?" Donghyuck spits out without thinking if he said it nicely or Donghyuck-y. But he hears Jeno laugh and Donghyuck thinks he's in heaven (or maybe he had too much to drink).

  
"Renjun's dating Chenle, I was fooled." Jeno explains, still smiling brightly. Donghyuck thinks it's brightest it's ever been but just because he hasn't seen that smile directed to him for almost two weeks. "Wanna dance?" Jeno asks, which made Donghyuck realized that the dj is announcing that he's going to play something slow. Donghyuck wasn't thinking and just stood up from where he's seated.

  
"Why didn't you tell me about it?" Donghyuck starts, probably to brush off the feeling of Jeno's hands on his waist. 

  
"I was embarrassed, okay. I ignored you and Jisung for almost two weeks only to find the boy I'm attracted to already taken."

  
Donghyuck stares at Jeno's face a little longer than he used to which caused Jeno to look at him too, curious of what the other is thinking he opens his mouth, "What about your date?"

  
Jeno hears a whine coming from Donghyuck and he immediately laughs. He looks at the other, finding Donghyuck adorable with his lips pouting and his eyes squinted a little. "Jisung is sick. He actually told me just after I was dropped of by my parents here."

  
"Jisung is your date?"

  
"Well, we both couldn't find any other person so we had no choice."

  
Jeno looks at Donghyuck incredulously, trying to scan his face for a sign of fakeness. "You? The almighty, Lee Donghyuck, can't find someone to go to prom with?" Donghyuck laughs at that. 

  
They have been talking like that since they found comfort in each other. The two of them compliment each other every time, making the both of them confident with who they are. It started when Jeno was new in Donghyuck's school. Jeno once told him that he doesn't want to go to school anymore because people are looking at him as if he doesn't belong, but that's not true. Donghyuck knows why all those people are looking at Jeno, it's because Jeno is good looking and they have never seen a face like him. It's a funny story but it's the truth. 

  
So they made up speeches to tell the other if ever they feel like they weren't enough. They created their own _hwaiting_ speech, as they like to call it. Donghyuck usually uses that to cheer Jeno up when one of his flirt of the day rejects him. And now, Jeno's using it for who knows how long it has been.

  
"Yes, I know. I, Lee Donghyuck, son of Hades and Athena. The smartest person alive, and Lee Jeno's ultimate best friend. The most beautiful son of the God of the underworld." Donghyuck chuckles, shying away from Jeno's stare before continuing, "I know Jeno. It's just that- this is prom, it only happens once in a life time. I wanted to go with the person most special to me." He did it. Donghyuck finally admitted it-well, not really, but he's going there.

  
"Most special?"

  
"I mean you, stupid."

  
Okay that wasn't so bad,right? He's still said it like how Lee Donghyuck would say it, so Donghyuck guess he did okay. But not really, he thinks as he looks at Jeno who is looking at him with mild confusion, only mild.

  
"Me? Well, I guess, I'm your best friend in the whole wide world anyway."

  
"I love you." Donghyuck mumbles before Jeno even finishes his sentence. He grips Jeno's shoulder a little tighter, it's now or never. Actually, it has always been now or never but Donghyuck always choose never and he always regrets it. It feels new choosing now though. "I've been in love with you since sixth grade. Right when I was about to confess I found out you and Yerim were kinda....eh, yeah."

  
He hears Jeno laughs, "Really, I think I've always knew."

  
"What?!" Donghyuck tries to pull away but Jeno pulls him closer by the waist. Donghyuck can't say he doesn't like this, because he does. But he feels so embarrassed he's about to throw up. 

  
"Well, not really. Jisung just really likes teasing you with me, I got curious if it's true or not. Now I can confirm."

  
Donghyuck is loss of words, thankfully Jaemin peers in with his obnoxiously loud voice. "I would like to thank the gods for this moment."

  
"Shut up, Jaemin. Go back to kissing your boyfriend, you'll break up someday!"

 

It was silent after that, with Jeno smiling and swaying them for a while even when the music has already changed from Lee Hi's My Love to CLC's Hobgoblin. It's awkward for bystanders but the two of them are in each other's presence. They don't care what song is playing, they care how their hearts are beating for each other.

  
"I have one question." Jeno starts, retracting his hands from Donghyuck's waist. It made Donghyuck panic a little, only a little. He asks himself sometimes why his insides act like this whenever he's near Jeno. "Would you be mine?"

  
Donghyuck has to process that for a minute or two but his brain says fuck it, he's gonna say yes. And he did. He probably did, judging by how happy Jeno looks and how he's hugging Donghyuck so tight right now.

  
"Why are you so happy? I should be the one crying now that you noticed my feelings for you."

  
"But I'm lucky to have you."

  
"Of course you are, just promise me you won't go flirting with other people now." He looks at Jeno and pinches his cute nose. Jeno grunts but nods in reply.

  
"I promise."

  
The night might end but Donghyuck hopes this happiness he's feeling now won't. He looks back at Jeno only to find the other looking at him too. He mouths an 'I love you' once again, and Jeno answers him with a kiss on the forehead.

**Author's Note:**

> ( i've had some difficulties in writing these past few days. sorry for the mistakes. i'm about take a hiatus in writing after this ♡ thank you for reading my fanfics!)  
> 


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